


Like a Fleeting Dream

by VerdiWithin



Series: Talisman [10]
Category: Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst and Feels, F/M, Falling In Love, Lust, Masturbation, Mild Smut, Sexual Fantasy, clumsy seduction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2021-01-02 12:30:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21161699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VerdiWithin/pseuds/VerdiWithin
Summary: Persephone completes the Elysium project.





	Like a Fleeting Dream

**Author's Note:**

> Previously in this series:  
Hades broke up with Minthe. Persephone is working hard to develop Elysium, as well as other projects in the Underworld, and just earned a promotion. Eros and Psyche are back together. Hades is struggling with his emotions and the conflict he feels because Persephone is still in TGOEM. He doesn’t know she’s nearly ready to leave it. Persephone and Hades enjoy a few special moments at Eros and Psyche's housewarming party.

All the way home Artemis complains about how I behaved at the party. She’s loud and kind of drunk, and I’m very annoyed with her At least she agreed to let me drive. I try to think about my plan to leave TGOEM. My next paycheck should include my new salary. If I calculated right, it’s enough to make up what I need to repay the scholarship. 

That won’t be quite enough, though. I can see that Artemis is not going to take it well, and I’m going to need to move out. Will one more paycheck be enough for that? I’m not sure. I’ve heard that some landlords want a lot of money up front. Maybe I’d better plan for two more paychecks. That will be three weeks from now. I sigh.

Artemis is still going on about me being “overly friendly” and “inappropriate.” She’s right, but for the wrong reasons. The stuff she knows I’ve done is totally fine, or at least I think so. Some of the stuff she doesn’t know about isn’t, though. Like holding Hades’s hand tonight. And kissing his cheek. And thinking about him almost constantly in a really personal and embarrassing way.

Nope, this is not a good time to start down this road. Think about apartments instead. I haven’t done enough research yet. Maybe a smaller apartment would mean I could move out sooner? I’d better start looking into it tomorrow. 

She’s speaking more forcefully now; it grabs my attention. “That man is totally disgusting, the way he follows you around. Somebody should do something, he’s a monster!”

“Artemis!” I bark. “I won’t listen to you talking like that. Hades is my friend. He is kind and thoughtful. I enjoy spending time with him. Surely you know that friends enjoy spending time together? After all, you’re the one who keeps pestering me to come home to watch movies and stuff. You must know that’s how friends work!”

She sputters angrily. “He’s just trying to seduce you, why can’t you see that?”

“I am not an idiot,” I say coldly. “Didn’t you hear Aphrodite? I’m a fertility goddess. Apparently everyone knows that. I think I would know if someone was trying to seduce me.” Would I though? I wish I could be sure.

She shouts at me: “That doesn’t mean you have to act like one of those--”

I am so done with this! “Sluts?” I ask. “Is that what you were going to say?”

“No!” she gasps. “I didn’t say that!”

Artemis subsides into hurt silence. I am silent too, but I am seething. And I am planning.

***

I'm dreaming. I know it's a dream, and it's a familiar one. 

I climb into the room through the window and Hades is asleep on Hecate's bed in my mother's house. In the way of dreams, there's no sense of proper time. I know things I didn't know then, so my dream-self thinks, "Oh, but they're just friends," as I approach and admire him. I open a clasp here, a tie there, and his chiton slips off. He opens his eyes and smiles. "Persephone," he says, "I've been waiting for you." I fall into his embrace, my lips sealing to his, his arms tight around me.

The scene changes. Now we're back at the party at Eros and Psyche’s house. We're naked together on the couch, touching and kissing one another. The other partygoers drink and talk and laugh, but they don't see us. His hand is between my thighs, exploring and stroking. I'm hot all over and shaking; I can feel my pulse pounding under his caressing fingers.

The scene changes. It's Elysium now, only it's not. It's better than I've made it, in a way I can't define. We're rolling in the soft grass and his mouth is everywhere. My ears, my neck, my breasts. He goes on, kissing and exploring my belly, and lower still.

I wake suddenly, sitting up with a violent gasp. I'm panting, quivering with excitement, damp with sweat and with arousal. Not again! Why do the dreams always end too soon, before we get to the good part? I'm eager to have even a dream to block out my unpleasant memory. A good dream may be all I ever get.

I lie back down and let my hand trail down my body. It takes only a few strokes until I shudder and quake. I’m distressed; it’s nothing more than a release of tension. It's as if I was starving, anticipating a wonderful feast of delicious foods, but the feast was denied to me. Instead I had to eat a bowl of lukewarm barley mush. I'm not hungry anymore, but I’m not satisfied either.

I try to go back to sleep but I can’t dismiss the dream from my thoughts. I’ve had dreams like it before, many times. This one was different, though. Something about it bothered me. I lie thinking for a long time.

It's still night, well before Helios will begin his journey, but I know I won't sleep any more. I get up and shower while I make some plans. I put my hair in braids and get dressed in pants and a sweater, trying to strike a balance between comfortable working clothes and looking nice. Eros isn’t here to advise me but I think I look pretty good. I quickly pack a lunch, trying to be quiet in the kitchen so that I don’t wake Artemis. I go out into the cool pre-dawn air and take off for the Underworld.

I have an idea and I can't wait to make it happen. If everyone knows I’m a fertility goddess, maybe it’s time I start acting like one.

***

I type in the locking code and open the portal to Elysium. The lighting in here is artificial, but no one could tell the difference. It’s programmed to follow the same schedule as Olympus, unless I choose to override it. I open an app on my phone and tap a command. In a few minutes, the “sun” starts to rise in the “east.” It’s beautiful, pink and gold and glowing. I decide I like the light this way and tap another command. Now it’ll stay that way until I reset it.

I set down my bag and fly all the way up, near the ceiling that now looks exactly like a sky, or at least it does from the ground. I look over Elysium. It’s enormous, extending as far as I can see, and beyond. It has hills and valleys, ridges and ravines, fields and forests and streams and lakes. The only sounds are the soft flow of water and the whisper of a breeze in the trees. 

I feel a deep sense of satisfaction for what I’ve accomplished. It’s my showpiece. My offering. My domain. Just the same, I have been holding off on calling it done, or letting anyone else see it. I’d had a nagging sense that it still needed something more. A centerpiece, something special, something beautiful. And now I know what it is, because I saw it in my dream. I smile, and get to work.

My new idea requires a whole bunch of alterations. I change the course of several streambeds by carving new ones in the rock. Then I have to actually push the water into its new channel. I don’t have much affinity for working with water, but Styx showed me how to do this by shaping the land and letting gravity do its thing. As long as I plan it properly, it works. 

Next I have to move a lake, which is very hard. I decide to drain the existing one into a deep sinkhole and then create a spring by shaping an outlet at the new location. To get the water to go back up, all I have to do is squeeze the sinkhole from beneath. This tests the limits of my abilities, but eventually I make it work.

After that I move a forest. Compared to working with water, this is relatively easy for me. I plan a lengthy approach to my new feature. It wouldn’t do to have it right by the door. Visitors will need to walk to it, enjoying the views along the way, and have it revealed slowly as they approach. I walk down the path myself, creating sunny glades and clearings full of flowers. Pretty stuff.

I’m getting tired and hungry. I check my watch, and it’s late morning already. I sit for a few minutes, and consider my plan. It would be best if it wasn’t quite done, if everything was ready except for a few last dramatic steps. I think it through, and then I spend an hour setting up some prerequisites for my new centerpiece.

By now I’m more than ready for lunch. It’s time for part two. 

***

I head outside to the park where I sat with Hades on that day we went to lunch. I consider. Maybe I shouldn’t remind him of that? To me, it’s a rather pleasant memory. I got to hug him and comfort him. I got to be the one acting like I knew what I was talking about. It’s probably not so pleasant for him, though. I don’t like the idea of reminding him of Minthe’s horribleness that day. I tell myself that I’m trying to make new memories. If all goes well he’ll have very good associations with this place. And even if the memories aren’t all pleasant, this place has meaning for us. We made a connection here. 

I arrive at the corner of the park, and take a look at the statue. It’s a centaur, done in an unexpected style. It’s not smooth and perfect, lifelife, like other statues. It looks like it was thrown together from mounds of clay: fast, violent. The artist must have been working frantically, slapping materials into place and catching an image before it melted away. It reminds me of what I’m doing today--trying to capture a dream and make it real. It isn’t pretty but I like it. It’s powerful. 

I snap a picture of the statue and send it in a text. Now I’ll just wait to see what he does. I sit down on the bench and take out my sandwich. I’m too tense to just sit quietly, so I start a text conversation with Eros.

_ Sorry I had to leave early last night. It was a great party! _I send. I start on my sandwich.

_ Everything was winding down anyway _, Eros replies shortly.

_ I meant to help clean up. Sorry! _

_ No problem, Hades stayed and helped. _I find myself surprised. I didn’t know they were that friendly. I’m glad, though.

_ That was nice of him. What are you guys doing today? _

_ Shopping, want to come? _

_ Sorry, I’m working and then studying _. And maybe other things.

There’s another incoming text. I hold my breath in eagerness, but it’s only Artemis. _ Where are you? _ she asks. I decide not to answer that for now. I’m still irritated with her, and if I tell her I’m in the Underworld on a Saturday, she’ll be upset. I finish my sandwich and start eating my apple.

I go back to the conversation with Eros. _ I don’t know what to do about Artemis. _He’ll know what I mean. We’ve talked about it before.

_ Stand your ground. She’ll come around eventually. _Maybe. I hope so. I don’t want to lose her.

Out of the corner of my eye I see something large and dark approaching fast. I look up, alarmed, but it’s Cerberus. “My good boy! I haven’t seen you in a while, are you behaving yourself? Yes you are! Such a good boy.” He puts his front paws up on the bench on either side of me and I wrap my arms around his huge frame.

“Hello, Kore.”

Cerberus hops down and sits, trying to look like a good dog who would never have the bad manners to jump on someone. Hades is standing by the centaur statue, holding six leashes.

“Oh, you brought all the dogs!” I exclaim.

“We were out for a walk when I got your text, not far from here. I guess you don’t mind.” As if I would mind seeing the dogs! I hold out my arms to them and pet each one, calling them by name. Cordon Bleu is still a little cold to me but the others are delighted. Hades watches. He’s amused. “You’ll spoil them with all that attention.”

“Don’t listen to him,” I tell the dogs. “You’re not spoiled! You’re all good boys. And a very good girl!”

I smile up at him and pat the bench next to me; he sits. Suddenly I have an attack of nerves. My heart’s beating fast and my wits are scattered.

“So what brings you down here on a Saturday?” he asks. I can’t quite define the look on his face. He’s very much focused on me, though.

“I was working,” I admit.

“Mmm. I’m pretty sure Hecate asked you to cut back.” 

“I had some things I wanted to wrap up in Elysium. And I want to show you.”

"Oh! Well, great. I'd love to see it." Hades reaches out and delicately picks up the end of one of my braids from where it rests on my shoulder. He tugs it very gently and then drops it, looking shocked, as if it burned his fingers.

“Sorry!” he blurts.

“That’s okay,” I assure him. I’m not sure why he’s reacting like that. “I wouldn’t let just anyone pull my hair, but you’re welcome to.” If anything, now he looks more panicked. I can’t understand it. "Shall we go now?"

***

“Can I take some of the dogs?” I ask, while we’re walking to the office.

“Sure.” Hades hands me three leashes, which turn out to be tangled with his. We have to pause and disentangle, which gets the dogs all excited, jumping around and barking. We're snorting and giggling, attracting attention from passersby. I think briefly of Hestia’s edict that we not go out in public together, and I feel exhilarated. No Hestia, I will not be obeying you today, or any other day.

Once we’ve untangled everything, it turns out I am holding JP, Fudge, and Big John. Cerberus follows us on his own. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever taken the dogs into the office,” says Hades. “Except Cerberus.”

“No? Is it against the rules?” I joke.

“Probably.” He leans down as if to whisper to me. “We’ll have to be very sneaky.”

I laugh. I love it when he plays like this. “Right. Very sneaky with seven dogs. Maybe we could get them disguises?”

“Or hide them in a really big box.”

“A box that barks?” I give him a skeptical squint.

“Okay, then how about we pretend they’re part of the cleaning staff?”

“That’d never work! Who would believe that dogs can clean?” I scoff.

“Don’t be so negative. At least I’m thinking outside the box.” He grins and wiggles his eyebrows to make sure I get it. He looks so dorky that I just lose it, fizzing and gasping with laughter, so much that I can barely walk.

I’m still giggling when we enter Tower Two. There’s no one in the lobby, and Hades looks around in annoyance. 

“What, you wanted to try out one of our stories?”

He smiles. “No, but there really should be a guard on duty down here.”

Some of the dogs are really weirded out by the elevator. The motion, and the mirrored walls, gets them barking again. It’s a good thing we’re not actually trying to be stealthy. When we reach the right floor, they’re eager to be on the move, straining at their leashes and scrabbling at the floor with their claws.

Someone shouts behind us as we leave the elevator lobby. “Hey! You can’t have all these dogs in here!” Hades and I pause, exchanging a glance of amusement. I hear steps running towards us. “Did you hear me? Stop right there! Nobody’s even supposed to be up here!”

We turn to face the security guard. He’s looking seriously annoyed. I recognize him--it’s Avin, the satyr who I saw in leaving the supply closet with Thanatos. At the same moment, he recognizes Hades, and his annoyance is immediately wiped away by dawning horror. He stops short.

“Sorry sir! I didn’t know it was you.”

“No, why would you?” asks Hades calmly. “Unless one of your colleagues had actually been on duty in the lobby, as they should be. Then they might have informed you I was in the building.”

Avin looks dismayed. “Uh, well, actually, sir, we’re short-staffed this weekend. I’m both covering the lobby and doing patrols.”

There’s an extended silence, and the atmosphere becomes distinctly tense. Hades’s face is displaying his displeasure. Avin is almost squirming with anxiety. Finally Hades speaks, cold as ice: “I see. You will inform your managers that they will be hearing from me.”

“Yes sir,” he gasps in a cracked voice.

Hades turns away and I follow. After a moment I look back. Avin is watching us, his face so contorted with emotion that it shocks me. He turns to leave, moving quickly. I’m awash with sympathy for him.

Hades is looking at me. “I’m sorry about that.”

“About frightening that poor man, you mean?” My distress makes my voice higher-pitched than normal.

“Yes. I know this situation almost certainly isn’t his fault. Someone in his management chain made some very bad decisions.”

I nod, somewhat soothed. “So why did you scare him so much?”

He looks surprised. “Did I? I tried to be restrained. I’m very angry at this sloppiness, but I’d rather direct my anger where it belongs.”

I think it over. It’s true that Hades could have raked the guy over the coals, and he didn’t. I suppose what I’m really reacting to is the look of terror on Avin’s face. Or was it something else? At any rate, it seems out of proportion to Hades’s actions.

“You’re right,” I tell him, putting the incident out of my mind. At this point, we reach the portal. My excitement surges. “Are you ready to see Elysium?”

His smile gives me shivers. “Yes, definitely.”

I punch the keypad and the doors open. I watch Hades. The golden-pinkish light of the sunrise falls across his face. His lips part. “Oh, Kore,” he breathes. “Look at what you’ve done.”

He steps forward into Elysium. From here, the ground slopes gently downward, giving us an unimpeded view of much of the space. There are rolling hills covered with grasses and flowers, gently swaying in the light breeze. A small rocky stream winds through the plain, gurgling and splashing in the quiet. Beyond lies a large forest of mixed trees, its wild depths enfolding shaded paths. In the distance we can see the new lake I made, blue waters sparkling in the morning sun.

Hades looks around for some time, taking in all the details. I’m eager to hear what he has to say, but on the other hand, his face says it all. The corners of his lips slowly curl up, widening his expressive mouth, rounding his cheeks, and exposing his dimples. I catch my breath. His eyes are glowing with wonder and surprise. He’s surveying everything, giving my work a serious inspection. I feel like something inside me is slowly melting and flowing downwards to pool, hot and volatile, deep in my belly.

He might have stayed like that for much longer, but the dogs start getting restless, whining to be let off their leashes. Hades looks at me. “It reminds me of Sicily,” he says, smiling. 

“That’s exactly what I was going for,” I tell him.

The dogs are getting frustrated with us. “Is it okay to let them loose?” Hades asks.

“I don’t see why not.” We let them go and they tear around, sniffing and exploring, running through the grass, playing tag together. Cerberus stays with us, his aloof dignity clearly demonstrating his disdain for the other dogs’ excitability. 

“I’d love to see some more,” Hades prompts. I’m pleased, because I have more to show him.

“Okay. Let’s go this way.” I lead him down the slope and across a field towards the forest. He’s craning his neck the whole way, observing every little thing. 

“The sky is very realistic. Is it painted?”

“Yes, it is. There are all sorts of effects that can be done with the lighting, like the sunrise right now. Also, the ventilation system can simulate wind and clouds.”

He nods. “The colors are beautiful, and the light feels just right.”

We cross a stream, placing our feet delicately on the stepping stones I put there for this purpose. The dogs heedlessly run through the water, splashing us. Hades is a bit annoyed but I just laugh. 

We enter the forest. Elysium is warm like the Mortal Realm, but it’s pleasantly cool here in the shade. We walk together down a path lined with trees and ferns. Occasionally there are vines and stands of flowering shrubs. After a few minutes we reach a little clearing where there is a rocky outcrop of mounded boulders. A spring bubbles from the rocks, flowing gently into a stony basin lined with colorful flowers. The warm golden light of sunrise bathes the whole scene with an ethereal glow.

Hades stops. “This is lovely.” He shakes his head. “Kore, the whole thing--I’m amazed. It’s overwhelming.” 

I don’t want him to get too excited yet. I touch him arm. “There’s more.” I smile.

He smiles back. We keep walking along the forest path. “It’s so quiet,” he notices.

“Yes. There are no animals yet. That’s the next stage, and of course there are a lot of issues to be worked out with that.” 

He nods but doesn’t pursue the idea right now. “Obviously your powers have come a long way. I’m astonished that you did all this so quickly.”

I’m pleased by his praise but I also feel self-conscious about it. I’m going to have to demonstrate my powers for him pretty soon, and I’m getting nervous. 

We continue on until we arrive at the edge of the forest and look out over a wide, oval meadow of tall grasses dotted with flowers. It’s bordered on one side with the forest, and on the other with rocky hills cloaked in the lavender and green of tough low shrubs that cover its steep slopes. The dogs run off to play in the tall grass, and occasionally we hear their barking.

I take out my phone and tell the lighting system to continue its program, moving on from sunrise. I explain what I’m doing and Hades watches with interest. We proceed across the meadow until we are approaching the sloped hills. This is the area I left ready for my last strokes. The ground here is raw rock and soil, carefully carved into a large depression that leads into a deep channel that trails into the forest.

“It’s not quite finished,” I tell Hades, gesturing to the rough, jagged area. “I realized this morning that it needed something extra. The finishing touch.” I’m losing courage, a little. Why did I want to do this in front of him? He nods encouragingly for me to go on. “I thought you might like to watch,” I add shyly.

“I would love to watch you work,” Hades says, his voice soft and caressing. I inhale sharply. I’m afraid that I’m reading too much into his kindness. I’m taking a big risk with this plan. What if I’m just deluding myself about what I think I see in his eyes? “You look a little nervous,” he continues. He holds out his hand to me, and places Ione’s Eye onto my palm. It’s warm and I wonder how long he’s been holding it.

I draw a deep breath. I have to be brave. Some things are worth the risk. “Do you mind if I hold on to you?” I ask. “Sometimes I get a little wobbly when I do this.”

“Not at all.” He smiles and offers him arm. I thread one hand under his elbow, holding the stone against his arm, and clasp his forearm with my other hand.

I open myself to feel the rock around me and focus my will. I reach deep into the face of the hill, grab hold, and _ pull _. The ground where we’re standing starts to shake, and Hades is alarmed. He puts his free hand over mine and pulls me back a few steps. I can’t spare any attention for him but some part of me is delighted by his care.

The hill starts to grow upwards and bulge outwards. I keep pulling, shaping, sculpting it until it has formed into a cliff that curves around the depression in front of us. The ground continues rumbling and shaking, but Hades is less wary now that he understands what’s happening. I keep pushing the cliff upwards until it reaches a dramatic height. I pause for a moment and draw a deep breath. Almost done.

I reach deep into the ground and open a tunnel from the top of the cliff extending all the way to the spring of pressurized water that I’ve prepared. There. If I did it right, there should be quite a show in a minute. I blink, and smile up at Hades. He’s looking at me with concern. “You all right?” he asks.

“Yes,” I say. This is going to work. I can feel it.

We start to hear a soft hissing sound, then it gets louder and louder until it’s a deep rumble. I look to the top of the cliff and Hades looks too. I keep expecting it to happen, and it doesn’t, and I’m getting nervous that it didn’t work--when suddenly a white fist of rushing water bounds over the top of the cliff and crashes dramatically into the depression below with a huge splash. Hades gasps in shock but I hold my breath. I just barely remember to be ready, and push back on the wave before it drenches us. I’m a little damp around the edges but I don’t mind.

The water continues flowing and stabilizes, the stream widening until it falls in a wide, white swath from the edge of the cliff down to a misty cloud that forms at the bottom as the depression fills to create a pool. The water starts to seep out into the channel I carved, forming a new stream that will join the rest of Elysium’s water systems. It worked.

I grin with elation. The rest is easy. I soften the edges of the new waterfall with overhanging trees, with shrubs and flowers. I bring the grasses of the meadow up to the edge of the pool. Only then do I turn to look at Hades.

“What do you think?” I ask. I’m looking right up at him and trying to put all my feelings into my face and eyes. I want him. I’m desperate for him to want me too. He shakes his head slowly, apparently unable to speak. That’s fine with me. It isn’t talking that I want from him now. We hold still for a long moment, unable to look away.

He touches my cheek with two fingers, so soft and delicate. He’s bending slowly down towards me. His eyes are so warm--the warmth washes right over me, soothing my body and loosening my joints. I feel lightheaded and giddy, like I’m floating or drunk or both. He’s getting so close! I’m reaching up, touching his shoulder, holding on to him, his lips are parting, it’s going to happen--

His turns his face away at the last second and his arms pull me in. I’m flat against his chest, my face against his shoulder. I feel disappointment so sharp that my gut aches with it. What happened? I thought he understood. I thought he was going to kiss me. I thought--I can’t think, my head feels stuffed with wool. This isn’t what I wanted. Still--he’s holding me, and rubbing my back. This doesn’t happen every day. He’s warm and his scent is intoxicating and I feel engulfed in his body. I hold on tight to his shoulders.

He’s speaking words now but I can’t really make sense of them. “Don’t you have finals to study for? I should take you home.” I nod because I don’t know what else to do.

It’s as if most of my mind has gone to sleep. I feel like a puppet, like a floating leaf, with no volition of my own. I go where he suggests, I help fetch the dogs, I sit in his car, I answer his questions. When he lets me out at Artemis’s house, I say goodbye and go inside. I sit down. It’s an hour before I can think properly again.

Dammit. Eros was right. I should have tried the naked under the coat thing.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
